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How it all started. When our founder started his studies, he got introduced to the unpleasant surprise all students encounter: the costs of buying books. Why is it that there is no subscription-based platform offering study books making the necessary materials affordable and easy to use?
The idea became BUKU. In 2015 we presented our concept to publishers, started with the development, technical support and our first business angel Vincent van Wieren got on board.
Things are getting real. The idea that started in 2010 came to life… We began to build the platform, appointed Bertus Jan as CEO and started our pilot at one of the biggest universities of The Netherlands, Hanze University of Applied Sciences.
There is a first for everything. Milestone! The first pilot had been a great success, an institute of Hanze University, the Johan Cruijff Academy implemented BUKU into their program and we publicly launched BUKU in The Netherlands.
Let’s go international. The FHR School of Business in Suriname was the first international country that started using BUKU, becoming the proof of concept which led to more joining publishers and expanding the online library.
And the winner is… NOVI University of ICT started using BUKU, more publishers joined, and we received the audience award for the Innovation Top 100 Price by the national Chamber of Commerce.
Good vibes. A busy year and we loved it: TIO University and Schoevers Educations started using BUKU, the closing an important round of investments, we launched in Aruba and Curacao, expanded in Surinam, and had our first users in Malawi: UNIMA College of Medicine.
The sky is the limit. In 2021 we developed BUKU for secondary education, we explored collaboration with international NGOs, expanded our business in the Netherlands and launched the platform in Kenya and the southern Pacific.
Growing and growing. In the markets where we are already active, we are expanding further: in Namibia we grew into one of the largest players in secondary education, in Kenya we officially opened a BUKU branch, the platform was launched in Guyana and Barbados and we had the opportunity to participate in a World Bank project in Malawi, where BUKU was rolled out in Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
New markets, New colleagues. This year we want to further grow in existing markets, but also explore a number of new markets. We had the first discussions with new publishers and educational institutions in no fewer than 18 countries. The BUKU team is also growing. At the start of this year we welcomed five new colleagues.
Scaling up globally. 2024 marked a turning point for BUKU as we expanded into six new countries, secured major partnerships with global publishers and secured our first nation wide deal. With the team growing in size, we focused on improving user experiences and launched a revamped platform design.
Setting new standards. In 2025, BUKU's goal is to become a dominant player in emerging markets. The journey continues as we shape the future of learning worldwide.
